Man Killed By Denver Police Had Extensive Criminal Record

Related Tags:

DENVER (CBS4) – More information has been released about the man who was shot and killed by police on Saturday morning.

Police said David Jermone Maestas broke into a Denver home, stole a car and led officers on a chase through several neighborhoods.

The robbery was at a home at 29th Avenue and Lafayette Street. The chase ended in a crash and shooting at 22nd Avenue and Downing Street. Two officers fired the shots that killed Maestas.

Detectives are still piecing together what happened and the district attorney will also review the incident. Any time there’s an officer-involved shooting the district attorney has to look over the case once the report is complete.

Maestas’ criminal record dates back to 1996. The crimes started with trespassing and burglary and became more serious as time went on. His record also shows crimes of theft, assault, drugs, parole violations, and threatening some of his victims with a gun.

Police say after Maestas broke in the house on Lafayette Street neighbors called 911 after hearing gunfire and seeing a half-clothed woman running down the street, bleeding and screaming for help.

Police confirm Maestas fired a shot before stealing the woman’s Jeep. They were able to track the Jeep because it had a LoJack device that was sending out a signal. When confronted at 30th Avenue and High Street he fled.

(credit: CBS)

Police used a PIT maneuver, bumping the back of the Jeep with a patrol car to spin it around. Another car then pushed it into a tree at 22nd and Downing after Maestas continued to try to drive away. The entire chase lasted about three minutes.

Police say that since Maestas had a weapon and had fired shots they had permission to use extreme measures to stop him once the chase began. He had already shown dangerous behavior that was literally putting other people’s lives in danger. Witnesses said he was driving down Downing Street at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour.